MULTAN: Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) has prepared emergency proposals for improvement of agriculture and economic stability in the country which would be sent to the government.
The MCCI sub committee for agriculture meeting led by convener Muhammad Tariq Khan was held at chamber here on Sunday.
President MCCI Mian Rashid Iqbal, Vice President Sheikh Muhammad Asim Saeed and other members participated.
The participants highlighted the issues regarding agriculture and livestock and gave suggestions to resolve them.
MCCI president Mian Rashid Iqbal and Convener Tariq Khan said that for economic stability in the country, there was dire need for special measures in agriculture sector on war footing basis.
Rs 13 per unit electricity rate was announced for tube wells in Prime Minister’s Kisan package but it’s S.R.O.has not been issued yet.
The import of harvesters should also be allowed and the import of harvester scraps be stopped. Fixed charges on electricity bills for tube wells should be abolished immediately and export of surplus sugar lying in warehouses should be allowed to start the crushing season which would stabilize the price of sugarcane and encourage the farmers. Promotion of horticulture industry was vital as it could play an important role in economic stability.
The support price of wheat should be fixed equally for Punjab and Sindh, pesticide industry should be declared sales tax free and Government should pay special attention to value addition of fruits and vegetables.
To meet the consumption of edible oil in the country, subsidy should be provided for setting up local industry. The selling price of wheat should not be fixed at more than Rs. 2800 per mound.
Government’s vision of providing cheap solar power to farmers could only be possible if solar import was allowed.
Government should provide subsidy on pulses, tomato, garlic, ginger, onion and fertilizers to reduce agricultural imports.
To combat climate change, research based guidelines should be issued on scientific basis to help people related to agriculture in farming.
Water scarcity in rivers and canals can be tackled only by the government subsidizing the price of electricity for agricultural use.
The government should pay special attention to Mango Pulp, Seed and Oil in Crop Value Addition and others proposals.
